


More Than Meets the Eye

by NoelleWynters



Series: An Unlikely Friendship. [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-15 01:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5766160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoelleWynters/pseuds/NoelleWynters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anastasia's plan may not be the best, but she had to do something right by the man she had wronged all those years ago.  Her good deed only causes Cyrus to think the persona she gives off is not the real her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than Meets the Eye

**Author's Note:**

> Standard disclaimer applies: I own nothing, this is all for fun.

Clutched within slender fingers of her one hand was a small cloth bag of magic dust, no easy feat when she was attempting to drive the horses pulling the cart she was in with her companion. The road was a little more rocky then she'd expected; still she was on a mission and nothing would stop her progress.

Why was she doing this with such determination? On the surface it seemed to be a simple case of righting a wrong, one not committed by her hand but still she felt the guilt she knew her partner did not. If the sorcerer ever felt that emotion, then it was only because he had not done worse to any of his victims, or the people standing in his way.

Maybe Jafar was right; she was nothing more than a little girl with a stolen crown. The board had been set, and the game was slowly falling apart. Blue eyes glanced towards the genie seated at her right, wrists once again bound with vines to keep him from doing anything stupid. She held the two most important playing pieces after all; the genie and his bottle. She had the upper hand, she could win this game.

Then why was she making haste back to her castle to undo the spell Jafar had placed on the Knave?

The man was of no use now, not really. He'd brought Alice back to Wonderland to use her wishes just as they'd both wanted, and she thought she'd known him well enough to believe he would leave shortly thereafter. Will had a good heart, but he didn't often put his neck on the line if there was no benefit for him in some small way. Far from a becoming trait, but one she could understand.

But why had he not taken her offer to leave Wonderland? Why was he staying; there was nothing in it for him in the end. What difference did it make to Will if Alice was reunited with Cyrus? Obviously he did not believe in love, why else would he have decided against waiting for her at their wagon all those years ago so they could leave this wretched realm behind for good?

Then again, why did she send the White Rabbit to find the Knave? The option had been there for him to locate the Hatter as well. The man had disappeared from Wonderland quite a long time ago, the day there had been a strange surge of magic within the realm; it had lasted mere seconds but anyone with magic felt it. Afterwards he'd been gone, no one other than his few friends, that being the Dormouse, March Hare, Alice and Cyrus searched for him. All coming up with nothing, to Anastasia his disappearance meant nothing but still, why had she not instructed Percy to find him instead of Will?

Both men were the type that often only did something if they felt they'd get something in return. Of course the Hatter had struck her as quite mad upon the few meetings she'd had with him before Cora had vanished as well. Talking to him was a practice in patience; you hardly ever received a straight answer and most of the time were never certain he was actually listening either. Be that something to do with his madness, or the fact he just had an abhorrence for royalty, she never did figure out.

Will was predictable; be it he did nothing without some reward, he would help a friend. The Hatter she did not know well enough to be absolutely certain. But still...why was she risking her life to bring him back from spending eternity as a piece of statuary in her gardens?

Perhaps it was the person sitting quietly by her side that was to help her find a way back to some semblance of the woman she once was, the way that demonic little child spoke it did seem that Cyrus was the one to show her the error in her ways.

If he didn't give her cavities first that is.

*

Cyrus looked towards the Red Queen, or Anastasia rather, in yet another attempt to figure her out. He'd made the foolish assumption they had reached some level of trust at the Great Divide, but his bound wrists were proving that line of thought quite wrong.

Brown eyes trailed towards the bag of magic dust, what she'd essentially broken him out of Jafar's prison to procure. It was a strange thought; Anastasia believed herself to be many things and yet she had enough self awareness to know she would not have managed to get the dust on her own.

Nor was it for herself; if she wanted it as some form of protection against retribution from the sorcerer she surely would have made use of it by now. There was something far deeper to what was going on within her pretty, blonde head.

Eyes moving from the pouch towards her face, he could read the resoluteness in every muscle. Her eyes were set on the path ahead, yet had lost quite a bit of the cold determination he was accustom to seeing while locked in his silver prison. It was there, he wouldn't deny it, but it had changed. This was no longer about her, or her desires solely. She was not trying to prove herself to anyone else or earn their approval.

Which was an odd thought, in all his time to this point in Wonderland all he'd ever seen was a cruel Queen, one who had everything but still delighted in destroying any happiness to be found in the lives of her subjects...or travellers who just happened to be in her realm. The last applying mainly to himself and Alice; after a time she'd pursued them with quite the fervour. Cyrus was accustom to that, once people realized there was a genie that could be easily acquired there was little peace for him, and it extended to his master or mistress most times as well.

Her throwing him into the Boiling Sea had been a shock, fighting for freedom from her guards had perhaps been ill advised but why would he allow the Queen to take him from Alice so easily? They'd both do anything for the other, whatever they could to keep the one they loved safe. Yet if the Queen had desired wishes, an attempt to kill the genie didn't seem overly smart...and she was anything but smart.

Cyrus thought Alice was clever, but Anastasia was as well.

It all fell into place, still he couldn't understand why she'd teamed up with Jafar and the mystery grew as he observed her. She was not the madman; her goal was different. There was a lack of interest in power, her reasoning was a little more selfish in tone. It was for herself, not to say Jafar wasn't after a goal to have his own selfish wants either, only hers were centred more on regret.

Freeing him, the dust and her sudden decision to reunite him with Alice all seemed to go hand in hand. She wanted to right the mistakes she'd made, and knew when it came to crossing Jafar it may well be at the cost of her life. Obviously she enjoyed playing with fire, as they were headed towards her castle and so far as Cyrus was concerned that was a foolish move.

Not as foolish as his to jump off a floating island, but it was up there.

*

“What are you staring at?”

The question came out sharper than Anastasia had intended, but after a few moments of the genie's eyes fixed so firmly on her she was becoming uneasy. At times she swore he could read her every thought, knew every emotion that went through her. It was unnerving and infuriating all at once, if she didn't need him as some form of insurance when Jafar came looking for her she might just give into the temptation to toss him out of the cart.

Cyrus canted his head to the side, his usual lopsided grin forming. “You are not who you wish the world to believe.”

A growl came as his answer, her grip tightening on the reins to resist the urge to lash out with magic, silencing him for the remainder of the journey. “What makes you so sure of that, darling? I am the one who helped Jafar lock you up in a toxic cage remember.”

“That may be true, but you are also the one who freed me from it.” Still, that wasn't the reason, although it was where the idea took seed. Cyrus hadn't trusted her then, now...he had a feeling he could. “At first I thought all of this was to prove everyone wrong; that you are a good person but you are going about it wrong.”

Anastasia rolled her eyes, tugging the reins so the horses would move to the right and towards her castle. Within the hour they would arrive, and Will would be back to his usual snarky self. “You are an expert I suppose in that, like everything else.”

The amusement fell, his gaze becoming a touch stern in response. “I said nothing of the sort, your Majesty. I cannot pinpoint why I believe this is not for show, of course avoiding Jafar is part of the reasoning, but you seem to have a sort of peace to you. Those who want the world to know of their good deeds feel a need to speak of it, to prove to everyone that they did good. You want your actions to speak for themselves; let everyone decide if you deserve their forgiveness or not.”

Her nose scrunched up, how she hated him for being so perceptive. Bloody genie, always there saying the right thing at the most idiotic of moments...although perhaps the right one for a change. “Why are you able to know what a person is thinking with such ease?” Blue eyes narrowing a bit, urging the horses faster with a slap of the reins. “That is not to say you are correct, but let us make pretend that you are.”

“I have spent hundreds of years serving mortals of various dispositions; you learn to read people quickly after a time,” he explained in a somewhat exasperated tone at her denial, unaware he had perked her curiosity yet again. The little girl had implied he had once been something other than a genie, something he had yet to explain and even now he was hinting at that himself.

She would figure him out, eventually. After this unwanted adventure was over. “You truly are not that brilliant, darling,” she drawled, smirking at the questioning expression that crossed his face. “I thought we were on a first name basis now, if you insist on calling me _your Majesty_ I shall revert to calling you _genie_. Somehow, I believe you would find that most disagreeable.”

“I had a bit of relapse in memory, still I would like to know why you are risking your life if not to proclaim from the rooftops you have changed your ways.”

Leaning towards him, she smiled. “All in good time, my dear **Cyrus** , all in good time.”

*

So this was the answer to the mystery which had been plaguing his mind since Anastasia had freed him from Jafar's prison: the Knave of Hearts.

Cyrus watched from a fair distance, staying where he'd been instructed to. Somehow of the last leg of their journey she had finally decided he would not make an attempt to escape and free his wrists from the vines. It should have been an easy conclusion to draw, considering within the last forty-eight hours he'd jumped off a floating island and then fallen into a chasm. Quite frankly, he may heal a little faster due to his magic then a mortal would, but he still was in no shape to try to make a run for it.

In silence he watched her, how her fingers lightly trailed along the jawline of the man who had been turned to stone. It was not out of friendship; those were the caresses one shared with the one they loved. Her fingertips lingered against the stone, her blue eyes filled with long buried affection and remorse.

She was in love; the realization hit Cyrus hard. While he certainly didn't believe her to be incapable of the emotion, it hadn't occurred to him that she had loved anyone in the past. Stories had circulated throughout the land of her and the Red King, a marriage lacking in love and more of some mutual agreement having brought it about than anything else. Some said she was just a poor girl who managed to climb the social ladder for her own greedy desires. Upon the man's death the rumours became even harsher, but the genie knew better than to believe what he heard.

Watching her now, whatever her reasons were for marrying the Red King mattered little, as in that moment he could tell at one point she had known love...and was still in love with this man.

“What is that saying, penny for your thoughts?”

Her voice pulled him back to reality, so caught up in the realization that had struck him that Cyrus hadn't even heard her approaching. The sound of stone cracking drew his attention towards the Knave, watching as he returned to his normal state and promptly fell to the ground. Apparently being turned to stone would not kill, but it did the victim no favours either.

Glancing to Anastasia, his eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What is a penny?”

Anastasia blew out a puff of air, placing her slender hand upon her hips. “Some form of currency, if I remember correctly. It doesn't matter, what were you thinking about that had you so enthralled?”

“You,” he answered, eyes moving from her face to the Knave who was gathering himself up and dusting off his odd looking jacket. Cyrus watched as he glanced around, as though he was getting his bearings. “You are in love, Anastasia, and do not try to deny it. I may not know you well, but what difference would it make to you if he had remained a statue?”

Red lips opened to utter a protest, only to snap back shut when she could think of none. “I do care for him deeply; this is more to make up in a small way for what I did to him in the past. But that is the least of your worries; he'll be off in search of Alice now and that is a problem.”

“You speak in riddles; a loyal friend will normally go to seek out the other when they could be in need.” So far as Cyrus knew, the Knave was a good and loyal friend to Alice. At least that was the impression he was given from the stories she told.

Anastasia chuckled, motioning for the genie to follow her back out of the hedge maze. The Outlands were her next stop, and hopefully the last for awhile. If Cyrus and Alice had an agreement to meet there should they ever find themselves separated, then surely Alice and Will would head in that direction as well. “Will is a loyal man, but make no mistake he is a thief as well. He would help Alice out of friendship alone, still I believe this is far more than just friendship: he is being paid somehow.”

At first Cyrus thought she was implying something completely different, a suggestion he was ready to hotly argue until she mentioned payment. “Alice rarely kept much in way of money on her, nor did she value possessions as some do...oh no.” He stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him; some colour leaving his face.

Hearing him halt, Anastasia turned and looked at him curiously. For the first time since he'd woken in Jafar's prison, she was certain he was showing something close to fear. “The wishes, can she give them away?” Even her tone took on a slight hint of urgency with the question; she knew Will. Good man he may be, but he was rash at times as well. Alice was down one wish, Jafar was missing and likely out finding a way to force her into the second. Will holding the third could prove good fortune or a stroke of bad luck.

Cyrus nodded, forcing himself to walk again. “She can, a wish cannot to be stolen it may be given though and they are hers to do as she pleases,” he explained, looking to her as she walked beside him. “Alice has a stubborn will, yet one has been used and I fear now that Jafar has managed the one he may very well force the second. You know Will, how easy would it be for him to be convinced to make a wish?”

“I am unsure, he is not the man I once knew. He is still stubborn, has little regard for his own neck it appears as well, but he once did make a habit of speaking without much thought.” If the last two were made, she may hold the bottle but Jafar was still a concern. That and neither of them would trust her with the genie, and so far as she knew Alice could never have control of the bottle again.

Still, there was something else she knew, something Jafar obviously did not. Anastasia had no faith in him from the beginning, his reluctance to share any information about genies had her suspicious. There were many ways to get the information you desired if you knew the right people, and as Queen it took little for her to gain a wealth of knowledge on the mythical beings.

The fact they may also be cursed mortal men was a shock, but of little consequence at the moment.

“Should Alice make her second wish due to Jafar's hand, there is a way to stop him from gaining the upper hand,” she softly said as they exited the maze. “You know it as well as I.”

Cyrus slowly nodded, not surprised the Red Queen was fully aware of this small fact. Holding out a hand, he helped her into the wagon before walking around to get in on the other side. Once settled beside her again he sighed. “There is always a way to acquire a genie if you know of one and do not wish to seek another that has no master.”

Shaking the reins, Anastasia kept her gaze set firmly on the road ahead. “I rub your bottle, and the last wish becomes moot. You then become my genie, and Jafar is once more three wishes away from his goal.”

Cyrus said nothing for a moment, not bothering to mention he could also follow through on the likely desire he had now to kill his former partner, but it seemed for all his knowledge on the subject the sorcerer didn't know everything about genies. Strange, had the person he'd learned from not been as well versed in genie lore either? “It would solve the immediate problem, for a time. Should Alice use her second wish, but we would still need to leave Wonderland.”

Blue eyes snapping over to Cyrus, gazing intently into his brown, she gave him a curt nod. “That would be obviously, but it seems you have another very important decision to make Cyrus. If Alice uses her second wish, do you want to wait and see if Will shall use his? That leaves Alice useless to Jafar, he will very likely kill her, and by extention Will, to hurt you.” Never mind the pain it would give her, thanks to that wish. “Perhaps it is a poor solution, but it may buy us all a little time. The choice is yours Cyrus, and yours alone. I have taken enough from you both, I shall not rob you of this decision as it is your life I'm playing with, I only hope Alice and Will shall make it to the Outlands without another visit from Jafar.”

If only they could be so lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> Long story short: I am continuing this little series of one shots slowly. I also use a lot of genie mythology that was not in the show because I've done research into it. Obviously I'm not following canon so may as well toss it in as well. The plan at the end might seem a little pointless, but to the characters it makes sense - Jafar could tell when Alice didn't use a wish to save herself from the Bandersnatch so it isn't too unlikely he would notice the third didn't work if it came down to it. Whether he'd figure out the reason right away, that's up for debate but if he's not around when the wish is made...*shrugs*
> 
> I honestly do plan my stories out for the most part, but then the characters also have a way of messing it all up and doing what they want regardless.


End file.
